The seventh season begins with an opening tease---set three years in the future at the dedication of the Barlet presidential library---that might give you a clue to the result of the Santos-Vinick race. But as the episode gets underway it's four days after the Democratic convention, and the Santos campaign is encouraged by a poll showing the congressman only nine points down. But Santos (Jimmy Smits) is worried about VP candidate Leo McGarry's negatives. At the White House, meanwhile, counsel Oliver Babish (Oliver Platt) questions C.J. sharply about the NASA leak.

"All of us players who have been involved this season will be part of next season, in some form or another," Smits confirms. Regarding his chances of beating out Alan Alda to succeed Martin Sheen as the prez, he says, "My hiatus will be a little bit like, 'Hmm... I wonder, wonder, wonder.' I'm OK anyway it goes. The way [executive producer] John Wells set it up, there's so much fodder for story lines that could happen, and we're all up for that."

With characters' futures affected by how the election plays out, there is uncertainty among the actors, but "that just resonates with what the Bartlet administration is going through," says Bradley Whitford, an original cast member.

Wells says he probably will decide the winner over the summer. Smits says that no matter who wins, "the whole thing has been a civics lesson for me."

"'The West Wing' wants you"
by Bill Keveney
April 5, 2005
USA Today

After much debate about whether the show should go on, "The West Wing" was renewed by NBC, but the network will pay a lower license fee next year to studio Warner Bros. and John Wells Productions - reportedly $3 million, half of this season's $6 million. That means slashed budgets, which are unlikely to allow for a lot of high-priced talent.

[Janel] Moloney doubts Donna "will be an assistant anymore. She's kind of found her own voice. More than almost any other character on television, I think she's really grown up on the show."

"Moloney Moonlights as Frey"
by Jay Bobbin
May 22, 2005
zap2it.com

In fact, Reilly didn't give us many direct answers to our questions. The only "scoop" we found out about "The West Wing," for instance, is that it has a 22-episode commitment, and that it will run straight through except for a few interruptions.

It's funny, I had dinner with my dear friend John Spencer last night and I'm not in the first episode, but he's at the beginning of it and he was telling me about it and I thought this sounds very hot because I think this is definitely the last year of West Wing. And I think it's sort of great that they can say that because I think people will start watching again. And they can do whatever they want because they don't have to wait around for the acts to fall or whatever and having that natural end to it I think will only help the series.
- Stockard Channing

"Interview : Stockard Channing"
August 3, 2005
moviehole

Malina, 39, plays Will Bailey on the hit series, and will likely be central to the outcome of the election. Former chief of staff for a dimwit vice president, his specific role in the campaign has apparently not been decided - or at least not yet released for public consumption. "I've only filmed my bit of the opening episode," he said. "No one's more interested than me."

Spencer appeared in seven of the 14 episodes that have been filmed, nine of which have been broadcast.

"How series deal with death"
by William Keck
December 18, 2005
USA Today

Meanwhile, the Hollywood Reporter apparently erred when it reported that WW's quandary was further complicated by the fact that Leo appeared in that flash-forward sequence set three years into the future in the season premiere. TVGuide.com's Matt Mitovich tells me that one of his cronies went back and rewatched the episode and insists that Leo did not appear in the sequence. In related news, it must be nice having your friends do your grunt work.

"Ask Ausiello"
by Michael Ausiello
December 21, 2005
TV Guide Online

In 2005, just before we started filming the last season of "The West Wing," I passed along an urgent phone message to our star, Martin Sheen. I told him that Harry Reid, then the Senate minority leader, wanted to talk to him about something very important. (You know it's very important when a senator leaves his cellphone number.) Martin later told me that the Democrat all but begged him to run for the U.S. Senate in Ohio, Martin's home state. Martin didn't have to think about it. In a real-life version of the confident, decisive political style of his "West Wing" character, President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet, Martin immediately declined. "I'm not a politician," he said. "I just play one on TV."